Peyton Manning has the gaudier career statistics. Eli Manning has more Super Bowl rings. But there's little separating the greatest quarterback brothers in NFL history when it comes to how much they mean to their teams.

It's clear they inherited strong arms and other physical tools required to excel at the position. More important and impressive, Peyton and Eli's shared genes include a knack for second half comebacks and lifting every offensive player around them.

Eli's Giants, with a big win Sunday in San Francisco, are playing worthy of their championship perch. Peyton’s Broncos are in position to make a similar rise in the AFC.

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Now that Dalton is showing he can handle a high-volume passing game, he needs to protect the ball when he's not making dazzling connections with A.J. Green.

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17. Miami Dolphins (23)

Grading the QB: Ryan Tannehill (B-)

The Dolphins needed a gritty, fearless young quarterback to complement their running game and defense. Tannehill has fit the bill more than they expected.

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16. Dallas Cowboys (14)

Grading the QB: Tony Romo (C)

The Romo roller coaster seems to be going up again with a little more help from Dez Bryant and a lot from the running game. We'll see how it goes without DeMarco Murray.

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15. Philadelphia Eagles (12)

Grading the QB: Michael Vick (C)

On one hand, Vick's big-play ability as a passer and a runner is what makes the offense so dangerous. On the other, all that doesn't matter if he can't protect the ball.

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14. Minnesota Vikings (13)

Grading the QB: Christian Ponder (B-)

Ponder has seen the interceptions pile up a bit the past two weeks after none before. But the Vikings still need to trust him to get the ball to his playmakers, Percy Harvin and Kyle Rudolph.

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13. Arizona Cardinals (11)

Grading the QB: Kevin Kolb/John Skelton (C-)

Here's the bottom line: With that shoddy offensive line, it's hard for Arizona to keep Kolb and/or Skelton upright and healthy. That means it's hard for either to be effective.

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12. Washington Redskins (19)

Grading the QB: Robert Griffin III (A+)

If you judged Griffin simply as a rookie running back, he would be the best in the league (379 yards rushing, 15th in NFL). But, oh yeah, he can pass a little, too.

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11. Seattle Seahawks (18)

Grading the QB: Russell Wilson (B-)

Wilson was below-average before Week 6, but his breakout game against the Patriots was like acing the final. Let's hope the Seahawks will keep allowing him to let it fly.

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10. Pittsburgh Steelers (9)

Grading the QB: Ben Roethlisberger (A+)

Roethlisberger’s challenge is similar to Flacco’s. The Steelers' defense is old and banged up, and Big Ben needs to remain stellar to lift the rest of the team.

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9. Denver Broncos (10)

Grading the QB: Peyton Manning (A+)

Manning gets the "plus" for the degree of difficulty—from a tough schedule, to rebounding from neck surgery, to getting in sync with a lot of new teammates.

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8. New England Patriots (5)

Grading the QB: Tom Brady (A)

Brady will be the first to tell you he had a bad game in the red zone against Seattle. He can play much better, and you can bet he'll be fired up to do so against the Jets.

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7. Chicago Bears (6)

Grading the QB: Jay Cutler (A-)

We like what Cutler has done so far in wins against Indianapolis, St. Louis, Dallas and Jacksonville. But we want to see it in big division games, such as Detroit on Monday night.

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6. Green Bay Packers (8)

Grading the QB: Aaron Rodgers (A)

Why no "plus" after a career-high six-touchdown game against the Texans? Scary as it seems, the reigning MVP can play better than he has so far to get the Pack back to supremacy.

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5. San Francisco 49ers (3)

Grading the QB: Alex Smith (B)

Smith was about to get an "A" for his efforts, but then he had a three-interception game against the Giants. He has little time to rebound vs. Seattle's nasty defense.

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4. Houston Texans (1)

Grading the QB: Matt Schaub (B+)

Schaub didn't have his best games against the Jets and Packers, but he can change all of that quickly by beating the Ravens—a team he didn’t get a chance to face in the playoffs because of a foot injury.

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3. Baltimore Ravens (4)

Grading the QB: Joe Flacco (B+)

As the defensive injuries mount, the team will rely more on Flacco, Ray Rice and the offense. That unit needs to come up big this week as the Ravens will have to outscore Houston.

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2. New York Giants (7)

Grading the QB: Eli Manning (A+)

Eli hasn't needed late heroics to save his team much. It’s a whole lot easier for him to lead the team when Ahmad Bradshaw and the running game thrives.

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1. Atlanta Falcons (2)

Grading the QB: Matt Ryan (A+)

Ryan has cooled off the past three weeks (Carolina, Washington, Oakland) but has maintained his MVP credentials with clutch play to keep winning in the fourth quarter.